A Bandit hero
by TopHatProphet
Summary: A young bandit, his life turned around, how will he cope after his life is upturned completely


A Bandit Hero

Sharp winds swept past as Hals watched over the camp, drawing down his fur hood he pressed himself closer the to rock. He couldn't risk being seen, the ink he'd used had dyed his armour well but in the early hours of the night being seen was still a possibility. Pulling out his telescope he scanned over the camp once again, the dwemer metal had began to rust but so far it'd served Hals better than the researcher he'd pinched it off, at first he didn't know what it did until he looked through it only to see a sleeping sabre cat right infront of his eyes. That was a fun day for Hals, especially lording his loot over his curious friends.

Hals had been scouting the same Stormcloak camp for about a solid week now, learning their patrols and their weakness in preperation of a most needed raid, the soldiers had just finished their rounds and passed the torches onto the next patrol. Most were asleep by this point and after joting down a few more notes Hals decided it was time to slink away.

Walking through the forest at night was peaceful, as long as you could ignore the wolf howls, beautiful birch trees with silver bark reflect the early moon's light. The light trail he followed twisted up the mountain, cold air nipped at his ears and fingers as he went his way kicking piles of leaves childishly.

Eventually the trail thinned to a thin line of pressed snow and grass, it's altitude and distance from the marked path helped keep the camp hidden, not a single guard or mercenary had found it yet. The camp itself was relatively new compared to all the mapped bandit held camps and fort ruins, they had built it themselves which turned out to be a lenghty endevour. It took about a month to complete and not a second too soon as the freezing winter rolled around shortly after.

For a camp of bandits they were fairly large, and not just an un-organised rabble of criminals and murderers. Everyone had known each other for at least two years and everyone was treat like family. Only a few of them went out by themselves as most stayed back and worked, be it at the forge, chopping wood, cooking for the camp, etc.

Hals was arguably the most adventurous soul in the camp, routinely heading out to scourge the roads or on scouting missions. A wayward soul some of the older members had called him, his escapades well known within the camp. Sometimes he'd stay weeks scouring place to place simply forgetting to return, hauling back more than anyone should be carrying at once.

He was young when he was brought into the family, only 17 when they found him, homeless and alone they'd found him shivering beside a streetside firepit. Penniless, it would've been a waste of time to rob him so they decided to give him a new home and work.

When his father died, his uncle inherrited their farm and booted Hals out to make room for his wife and daughter. Hals had always done most of the work and gradually the farm lost profits over time, bandits being bandits knew about the farm and had seen him work tirelessly day in day out. They had been planning to raid the little farm that day after going two days without food only to see little Hals being turfed out on his hide, with only the worn clothes on his back and a small pack of food.

They had decided to follow him to town, pick him up and give him a place to call home. Hals had only been in Riften for a few hours and had already been shown he wasn't welcome, people glared his way and the homeless were hostile to say the least. When he attempted to find a place of the orphanage he was turned away with a condecending smirk from the old crone.

Honorhall's only employee, Constance, proved herself to be rather nice compared to her boss, as he turned to leave she quickly placed a small coin purse in his hand with a warm smile. He'd managed to get himself a warm meal from the inn and a blunt iron dagger from Grelka, a gesture of pity he was sure.

As he sat down at a street firepit he could see one of the homeless men, a skinny nord looking man with horrible grey hair that had recessed all but to the sides of his head, sizing him up while keeping an envious eye on the loaf of bread sat in Hals' lap. Sufice it to say, he wouldn't have lasted long on the streets of that criminal ridden cesspit.

In the middle of the night as Hals' head had just began to droop when sleep finally found him two men approached. The two were almost indiscernible except for their hair, both nordic blond but one had long hair while the other had it short, every other feature was practically mirrored between the two.

Both spoke a the same time, two equally gruff voices, and it was impossible to tell what either was saying, they tried their best to speak at different times but kept interupting each other. Trying his best to be sneaky, he slowly attempted to draw his dagger. It was pathetically easy to see what he was doing.

Grabbing his arm and yanking it up, the dull knife tightly clutched in Hals' sweaty hand "come now, we don't want no trouble" hushed the shorter hair man. Looking around to see if anyone was watching the other man spoke "put that thing away before you hurt yourself" he said as his arm was released.

Sheathing the blade he sat there in silence, waiting for whatever came next with bated breath, "you don't want to be out here on the streets, do ya?" the short haired man asked and Hals shook his head too afraid to speak up "good" the long haired man said picking up where his companion left off "come with us."

Hals didn't move so they both dragged him to his feet "c'mon son, we're only here to help" the long haired one grunted struggling to keep a hold on the child trying to get away. after a few monents of trying to drag his off they nodded to each other and the long haired one held him as still as he could. Hals thought it was all over when the shorter haired man drew his sword, he started flailing frantically "just knock 'im?" the man with his sword held up asked to which his partner nodded once again.

Looking Hals in the eye the short haired man spoke "g'night son, it wont hurt that much" he joked before bringing the pomel of the sword down on hals' head. Throwing Hals over his shoulder, the long haired man joined his twin and the two strolled out of Riften.

Caught up in his memories of when he first met Iskall and Ingvaldr, Vald for short, he walked straight into the camp's gate, loud laughter erupted from up above him "away with the fairies are ya, lad?" Vald shouted down from the little guard tower "give us a second, I'll open the gate, no need to ram it down" he continued, fiddling with his keys and chortling all the while.

"Yeah, just waltzed right into it" he told Iskall who began to join his twin in laughter, a red faced Hals approached the two who were still chuckling at his clumsiness "its not my fault, if you two hadn't traumatised me back when I was a kid I wouldn't be so distant from the world" Hals joked. Iskall and vald both looked at him, confusion on their face, and then looked at each other for any clue what he was talking about, after a few seconds of confusion Iskall finally decided to ask.

"...what?" he asked flatly, even for nords the two could be awfully dull at times, "Remember when we first met and you kidnapped me, well I was caught up in the memory of that day and lost track of time...and maybe didn't realise the gate was approaching" he explained even more embaressed than before "Ahhhh" they both said at the same time as they now understood what the strange little man that was Hals had meant.

"We prefer to see it as saving you more than kidnapping you, my boy" joked Iskall as they walked through the camp "mmm hmm" agreed Vald "if it weren't for us, you'd have died on them streets...or at least got some disease" he furthered. "Oh, glad you had so much confidence in me" said Hals, flatly and sarcastically, "aye" Vald nodded "well anyways, boss was askin' for ya. Wouldn't want to be keepin' him waitin'." Vald shouted back to Hals as he ran off to keep up with Iskall, who had walked off to join the other men around the fire.

"welp, time for another bollocking" he grumbled to noone in particalur, as Vald had rightly said Hals wouldn't want keep the boss waiting. Riggr had been on edge as of late, noone really knew why but recently Riggr had been acting strange and shutting people off. Everyday there was a check of stock and everyone had to hand in their hual as soon as they stepped through thr gate, noone knew what had set Ol' Riggr off and not for a lack of trying but Hals had been beginning to specualte.

Sometimes in this world when people with power and responsibilty are under stress; the stress of the bounties, the stress of keeping hidden at all costs, the stress of keeping this family of rabble and rebels fed and happy; sometimes it just gets to a man and their mind isn't their own anymore, they think things aren't the way they are because they just don't know anymore.

Hals took a second with his fist held in suspesion just inches from Riggr's door before steeling his nerve and knocking, it wasn't long until a irritated "what!?" came from the other side of the door "just me, boss, heard you wanted to see me?" Hals meagerly said from the other side of the heavy, oak door. "Ah yes.." he muttered, Hals bearly heard him, "Come in."

Pushing the door open, its heft not helped by the stiff, rusty hinges, Hals carefully aproached. It slowly creaked open, dust being kicked up proving how long he'd been holed up in there, Riggr was flicking through what looked like a huge business ledger muttering to himself angrily.

Riggr was usually a man impressed by shows of boldness and cofidence so Hals decided to try his luck, striding up and grabbing a seat he sat down. "What'd need me for, boss?" Hals asked, the glare Riggr set him with told Hals he'd made the wrong choice, "you've been out of the camp for what? a week now?" he asked, pushing hard with the quill on the paper. It had actually been a week and a half but Hals didn't dare correct him, he simply nodded and Riggr carried on "hmmm, well I, and a few others might I add, have been noticing a few things going missing recently, items of value and purses of coin to be precise" he spoke with an accusational tone, emphasising "recently."

Hals opened his mouth to refute but Riggr held a hand up "now, before we start pointing fingers, have you seen anyone acting suspiciously, also, did anyone leave when you did?" his tone softer than before. Hals let out a sigh of relief, he hadn't been accusing him after all, "no, not really, boss. Noone really leaves but me, the only thng I can think of is someone might be playing a joke on everyone." Hals said, he couldn't imagine anyone stealing from another here as everyone was like family.

Riggr nodded as if he agreed, or at least understood his logic, "well, that could be a reason, whomever would have to be very sneaky and would have to have a good hiding spot" he countered, elongating the "very" for added effect, Hals scratched his face, not from nervousness now but in contemplation, the scratchy beginnings of his beard niggled him from time to time and Hals found it helped him think to give it a little scritch.

"Well, I can't really think of anyone, boss" Hals said, breaking the momentary silence between the two thinking men, "hmm, you enjoy snooping around, dont you?" Riggr stated, looking Hals straight in the eyes, "I prefer to call it "scouting", sir" Hals said a little taken aback, Riggr chuckled at Hals use of "sir." "Be that as it may, you have a talent for figuring these sort of conundrums out, am I wrong?" his tone a little condescending "uhh, yes?" Hals apprehensively responded.

A smile appeared on Riggr's usually gruff face, an unusual sight, "I put you in charge of getting to the bottome of this whole charade, you can start right away! Now go on, get outta here" he jovially started. Standing from his seat he lead Hals out the door, "go on now, problem won't solve itself."

Hals spent some time replaying the conversation in his head as he sat around the fire with the guys, burning sausages unintenionally. He must have put away at least thirteen sausages by now, all charred and black, without really paying attention to his surroundings. Everyone around the fire occasionally glanced in his direction, a distance to his eyes, people wondered what was going on with him but didn't bring it up.

"Would have to have a good hiding spot" "very sneaky" Riggr's coments from earlier caused Hals brain to hurt as he mulled over all he knew of the camp and it's people, nothing would come to mind as he racked his noggin. Someone finally decided to ask Hals what was troubling him, Iskall tapped him on the shoulder gently, startling him. Hals jumped and fell back off the stump he was sat upon, noone thought to laugh as he slowly got to his feet, Hals quietly told Iskall to follow him when Iskall asked whats wrong.

The two stood off to the side, away from everyone, and Hals told him everything Riggr had said, about coin purses going missing and whatnot. "I haven't noticed anything, nothin' of mines gone missing" he told Hals, confused, he continued "how long has this been goin' on."

"apparently, about as long as I've been out of camp" Hals said, Iskall looked him dead in the eyes "was it you?" he asked, concerned "no!" hushed Hals "ofcourse not, what do you take me for?!" Hals clenched his fists, anger rising from another accusation.

"No no no... I misunderstood you is all..." Iskall explained "so, Riggr is suspicious of you is he?" Iskall seeing the severity of the situation clearly now. "Would seem so" Hals grumbled "and he's put me "in charge" of figuring this out" he qouted Riggr, Iskall could see Hals getting more irate as he thought more and more on what Riggr had said to him.

Iskall stopped him for a second, "well get some rest and we'll figure it out tomorrow" Iskall put a hand on Hals shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile, Hals smiled back and nodded. They both parted ways and Hals headed straight to his bunk, dumping everything in his chest and locking it three times over just to make sure. Slowly sleep found him as he lay there, too tired to even take off his leather cuirass.


End file.
